Is a 7 string guitar harder to play? Many guitar players who have been playing with a standard 6-string guitar and are new to a 7-string guitar struggles and find themselves clueless to get the most out of their new instrument. The 7-string guitar is essentially the same instrument. But with the addition of an extra string, this poses some issues in terms of physical and musical capabilities. It also allows your guitar skills to express musicality and creativity.

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A 7-string guitar can pose so many threats and can be challenging, but it is not hard to play. Yes, there are some major changes because of the additional string. But to master playing this type of guitar and become a more creative musician, you need to learn the best way to approach this new setup. You need to take a look and manage new accessories that go along with it.

Here are some tips that may be helpful for you to maximize your musical capability using a 7-string guitar.

Control The Pitch Range

Some of you experimented with heavy riffs on the lower B string when you first buy this guitar. Although this is one of the perks of having this particular instrument, it can be a bit boring when you mostly rely on using the lower notes during your guitar playing. To make use of the whole instrument as a whole, you need to use the full range of the instrument. Avoid focusing on the low B string because your playability will end up being a one-dimensional sound. Using a higher range can balance and tone down the guitar sound, and it will produce an interesting flow of melodies.

Incorporate The New Pitch Range To Your Lead Guitar Solos

Musicians boxed the idea of a 7-string guitar as primarily a rhythm instrument because of the extra bass string. In return, they don’t take the time to extend their lead guitar scale and arpeggio fingerings to accommodate a wider range. It is a common misconception as it limits you from taking advantage of this unique tone from this fantastic instrument. It can hold you back from exploring and coming up with fresh phrases that you may not have considered from your regular string guitar.

New Chords To Explore

Aside from its unique lead guitar capabilities, you can explore and create new chords that will help you out in your next solo performances. 7-string guitars have come a long way from the Metal genre. Now it can be seen in rock, jazz, folk, country, and even classical ones. By incorporating the low B string, you will be surprised to know that it perfectly blends in a chord that’s been commonly used in a regular 6-string guitar. To get the more out of, you can turn off the distortion and play on clean settings with your amplifiers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a lot of musicians are trying to spice things up with their playing in most cases. They crave for some unique tone that can be implemented in their ensemble. The points discussed above are not particularly challenging to do. Once you apply and practice enough, the result will be great sounding music that takes advantage of all the full possibilities offered by a 7-string guitar.